What is the appropriate level of service to be expected?

Ignore me while you talk or text on your phone? Give me a "who gives a shit" attitude when my order was not done right? Act like you are doing me a favor to serve me?

I think I've demonstrated my point.

Daily, at my club, couple of beers, $5 bill for the server.

Christmas time at my regular stops, $50 bill and a Merry Christmas greeting.

Nice dinner for two, pleasant service with a helpful demeanor, 20%-plus.

Distracted, crappy attitude, bitchy behavior, learn to live with zero, zip, nada, bye-bye.

For good service I go 20% and round it up to the nearest dollar. I hate math.

Normally for us it's 20-25%.

At our favorite Tues night place, Mrs. heathtx texts her to let her know when we will be there. She saves us a table, brings my cocktail when she greets us and knows our order. We know her husbands name and her kids name, we chat and she never rushes us.

Her service rivals any place we have ever been.

Tonight, another couple joined us and we all got top notch service. I left her 60% of our tab.

I know it's a bunch of old guys in here but here goes my stories:

-old neighbor of mine, he joined the Air Force shortly after WWII and died 2 years ago, used to always leave $2 no matter the bill. It could've been 3-4 of us who went to dinner, tip was $2 if he left it. We always added to that. Can't have a server taking care of 3-4 people and get $2.

-my father in law who is 72. It's $5 no matter the bill. He took us to Famous Dave's one time and the bill was about $55, he left $5. I "went to the bathroom" and gave the server another $10.

I don't think it's because they're cheap, I think it's because that's what they were used to doing.

Not in America but my dad said his dad, my grandfather, never tipped and said, "they get paid so why should I tip?" But I've also come to find tipping seems to be a mostly American thing.

quote:

Originally posted by ensigmatic:

quote:

Originally posted by StorminNormin:
What has irritated me now is that if you order to go or order at the counter to eat in and get your own order, ...

How does one "get their own order" unless it's a buffet?

Carryout: Somebody takes the order, checks the order after it's up, packs the order, etc. Only difference from sit-down is it's in a bag instead of on the table.

Heck, during the height of the Wu Flu scaredemic, when our favorite restaurant was curbside pickup only, I was tipping 20% for carryout because I felt bad for the wait staff.

Well under that thought then even at a buffet you better tip twice or three times as much. Once for the person who cooked, then for the person who got the food ready, and then for the person who refilled your drinks or checked on you.

I tip well, but it is based on service. As I stated, during COVID I tipped well even at times I felt I shouldn’t in order to help out employees. On a regular basis I am not tipping just because they gave me the food I paid for; that price is built in. A tip is for the service you receive. That is my opinion and you have yours which I respect.

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Originally posted by tatortodd:
Sit down restaurants - Fair 18%, Good 20%, Excellent 25%

Bartenders - Fair 18%, Good 20%, Excellent 25%

I agree with the first reply. These people have a pretty shitty job. Don't extrapolate your "generous" tip to some hourly or daily rate for the servers. They have plenty of cheapskates trying to figure out how to shave 2-4% off of a simple 20% math equation. Oops - sorry.

That's before considering they may be sharing with front or back of house in a tip sharing model.

Good, even decent, servers, get 20% or more, rounded up. Way up if I'm feeling it, or in an area where I feel like the servers are super dependent on the wage. If you do the math, shaving a few percent off their tip will likely have little impact on your overall situation, but may affect theirs. If that is not true, then you should be eating out less, not looking for cheaper service.

Perhaps.

The 2X first number approach is fine if you can't do math. Just round up by, I don't know, a bit?

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Originally posted by xd45man:
We are making some spending reductions

It's unlikely this topic is going to have any material impact on that. If it does, you are either eating out a lot (and you indicate not) or this is rounding error in the big scheme of things.

IOW, don't sweat it.

{self disclosure - I have never waited on a single table, but I do score high on empathy, math and common sense.}

One of the rules I adopted when I was aggressively paying down debt was to not order food and alcohol from the same place. Easily cut down my restaurant and bar tabs by 40% without any real reduction in enjoyment.

I could sit and have a nice meal, really focus on the food, and not buy one or three drinks out of habit.

Then, I could go to the bar and not order a bunch of random appetizers that just got in the way of the drinks.

My income has gone down in recent years so I don't go out to eat as much as I did. I wouldn't go at all if I couldn't leave a good tip.

My rule is
"for a baseline, take 10% of the bill then double it."
That makes the math easy.
If it comes out to an oddball number like $3.67, just leave a fiver.
If the service is really great, round up as well.

15% is fine, 10% is appropriate for coffee shops, etc. 20% for people who do a really good job.

I don't eat out much but when I do I default at 15% for expected service.
If all you do is ask for my order, bring food, ask if everything is good, then bring a check I consider that the bare minimum so I tip thusly.
If they go above and beyond then so do I.
You got to earn my money honey.

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Originally posted by sigarms229:

quote:

We are making some spending reductions

No offense but if I were in your shoes I would reduce the amount of times that I'm going out rather than reduce a server's tip.

My tip starts at 20% and goes up or down depending on service. Wife and I went out tonight to our favorite local family restaurant the I left 30%. Our server knows us as regulars and always does an awesome job.

On the other hand, staying at home net result is zero tip.

For those who have trouble doing the math, every cell phone has a calculator on it.

I must have missed the 20 percent minimum memo of ten years ago apparently.

However, IMO a tip is optional based on the quality of service.
If service is not good, I don't see giving 20% of an already inflated food prices.
I have no problem of 20% or more if the server is really trying to do a good job and actually makes me feel like they care.
Tips may be standard be not entitled ~ must be earned.
YMMV

15% is fairly easy. It's 10% plus half of what 10% was.

18% on the other hand is twice 10% minus 10% of the twice 10%. Nobody likes subtraction.

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Originally posted by smschulz:
Since when did 20 per cent become the rule?
Always thought 15 was standard.

Tenish years. Maybe a little more.

I tip 20%. It is part of the price of a sit down meal. If you can't afford that, don't eat out. You can cut your expenses, but don't cut the waiter's income.

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Originally posted by Aglifter:
15% is fine

It is not fine. It is barely adequate and rapidly becoming a snub. Don't be those old geezers someone described who leave $5 no matter what the bill is.

We are zero income retirees, so we understand the money pressure!

Generally I prefer to leave a cash tip rather than add it into the credit card. Some restaurants screw the employees either by taking some of it or applying it towards minimum wage. Those are generally lower end places.

At coffee shops I usually cash tip $1 even if all I buy is a $2 coffee. That's if they are quick and friendly. Especially at places we frequent, so they'll remember us.

At high end restaurants I more carefully calculate 20%, and don't include tax or alcohol. These are the once or twice a year kind of events.

We pretty regularly take a physically disabled relative with dementia to a particular local burger lunch joint. She insists on leaving the tip, $2. The staff is always very kind to her, so I always excuse myself to use the restroom and give the waitress a nice cash tip.

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On the other hand, staying at home net result is zero tip.

Correct, but the OP is trying to reduce expenses, therefore eating at home reduces it way more than just reducing the tip.

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Originally posted by jhe888:

I tip 20%. It is part of the price of a sit down meal.
If you can't afford that, don't eat out.
You can cut your expenses, but don't cut the waiter's income.

It's never been about affording the tip.
It's always about the quality of service.
Tips generally are not standardized ~ it is why they are left open on the bill.
It should be a reflection of the quality of service.
It is an earned reward, regardless of the amount or percentage.

I expect to tip 20% (just move the decimal point and double it) when i go out
crappy service usually still gets 10% (people have off days)

one time the best i could do was offer this advice "you need to go into a new line of work, because you aren't going to make any money as a server"